Local Currency in Morocco

Dollars? Rupees? Yuan? Baht? Riyals? Euros? Pounds?
What is your local currency called and what is it worth?

The local currency in Morocco is called the Moroccan dirham (MAD or Dhs). The sub-currency is called santimat or centime, with one dirham equaling 100 santimat.  Dirhams are issued in 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirham notes, and the coins are issued in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 santimat and .5, 1, 2, 5, 10 dirhams.

100dh-obverse-jpg

Cost of Living:

1 liter of milk: 7 MAD

Domestic beer: 22 MAD

Cappuccino: 13 MAD

.33 liter bottle of water: 4 MAD

Loaf of white bread: 4 MAD

For a current exchange rate visit xe.com

Exchanging money:

DO: Once you arrive in Morocco, exchange your money at the Bureau de Change in the airport. Make sure you have paper currency that is in good condition; dollar bills that have tears or ink marks may not be accepted.

DON’T: Use coins in your local currency to tip in Morocco. It will prove a challenge for locals to exchange these coins so tip in dirham!

The dirham is officially established as a closed currency, signifying that it can only be traded within Morocco. Any Moroccan currency you may have acquired during your trip can be converted back to foreign currency but make sure to keep any receipts that detail the transaction.

Accessing your money abroad:
We recommend using your banking card (ATM/debit) from your U.S. bank. Using ATM cards enables you to access your own personal bank account from any ATM machine around the world. The primary advantages of getting money from an ATM are 24-hour access and preferential exchange rates.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT USING YOUR DEBIT CARD ABROAD:
Check with your bank to make sure you can use your card overseas, and to inform them that you will be living abroad. Give them your dates, and all the countries you anticipate traveling to. It is not uncommon to be cut off from your bank account after using your card abroad, even after giving them forewarning. If this happens, don’t panic! Banks do this to protect their clients, and we should be grateful! If this happens to you, you just need to contact your bank to ensure them that you are in possession of your card and that you need to have access to your account while you are abroad. If you have a shared account with a family member and their name is also on the account, sometimes it’s helpful to get word to them to call the bank for you, considering the time difference between countries.

In order to withdraw cash from an ATM using a debit or credit card, you must have a 4-digit pin. While you’re most likely very familiar with your debit PIN, you might not know a PIN for your credit card. Be sure to ask before you travel, banks will not release this information over the phone, via text, through an email or in any other way than to mail your PIN to the mailing address associated with your account.

Many ATMs in Europe only accept debit/credit cards that have the Cirrus, Plus, Visa, MasterCard, or American Express symbol on the back of the card. It is a good idea to have both options available – an ATM card and a credit card – just in case of an emergency. When you use your bank card, the ATM machine will automatically convert the money into the local currency for you. Please ask your bank about their fees associated with international transactions, they may charge you anywhere from $5.00 to $7.00 per transaction, and that adds up!